Undeniable Truth
by Tanoshimi
Summary: Sasuke has come back to Konoha, and his friends are glad to see him. However, Sakura is uncertain about consorting with the Uchiha, who is harboring a secret himself. What will be the outcome? Sasuke X Sakura
1. Chapter 1

Since my first fanfic didn't get as many flames as I thought it would, it's given me the hope that this one won't either. But I think I may have bungled up the court places in the first paragraph of this chapter. And it may be weird that in Japan, they are using the American system of trials. My point is, I didn't do much research for this. There is some Japanese terminology that may not be familiar in this chapter, so here are the definitions:

hai-yes

hyaku-hurry

With that, I leave you to read!

* * *

"Uchiha Sasuke, you are called to the stand."

The raven-haired man stood up and walked over to the judge.

"Do you, upon your honor as a Konoha shinobi, promise to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?"

"Hai."

"Please take your place at the defendant's stand." When he had done so, the judge continued.

"Hokage-sama, please come forth." Tsunade rose and strode over to the man seated at the judge's altar.

"Do you, upon your honor as Godaime Hokage of Konoha, promise to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?"

"I do."

"Please take your place at the witness' stand." Once she had taken a seat, the judge began the trial with a bang of his gavel.

"So starts the trial of Uchiha Sasuke's innocence."

Four stifling, tentative hours later, Naruto and Sakura walked side by side with Sasuke. Grinning cheerily, the blonde asked his black-haired friend,

"So, Sasuke. Now that your slate is cleaned up a bit, what's the first thing you're gonna do, dattebayo?"

"A shower."

"Oh. After you take a shower, want to come with Sakura-chan and I to get ramen?"

"What about Hinata?"

"Oh, Hinata-chan? She knows that it's a Team 7 day. You don't have to worry, Sakura-chan."

"Alright."

"So Sasuke, are you coming?"

"Whatever."

"Okay! We'll meet you there. Oh, and here's the key to the apartment." Naruto fished around in the pocket of his black and orange attire. He eventually came up with the key and gave it to Sasuke.

"See you there!"

"Hyaku, Sasuke-kun!" The two teammates strolled around the corner, waving. Sasuke set off in the opposite direction toward Naruto's house. Since the Uchiha complex was still off-limits, he opted to stay with his friend until he could afford another place to live. Arriving at the apartment building, the shinobi leaped up onto the balcony of Naruto's room. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside.

Minutes later, under the steaming hot water coming from the showerhead, Sasuke thought about his present situation. Somehow, he would have to take on as many missions as possible and get his pay. This would probably take at least 3 months or so, if he received a majority of big missions (which were apt to pay better). Then, he would get his own house or apartment room. During this time, Sasuke planned to take the chunin and jonin exams to advance from his current rank as a genin. He gritted his teeth as he lathered his hair with shampoo. Those 6 years he had spent away from Konoha had certain disadvantages after all. Oh well. What mattered was that Itachi was dead, right? 'No,' he corrected himself. 'What's important is that my friends are back with me.' Rinsing off his hair, Sasuke proceeded to wash off the rest of his body. Grabbing the soap, he was dismayed to find that it was the coarse, grainy kind that he detested so much. As a member of the prestigious (and wealthy) Uchiha clan, he was used to the delicate, fragrant soaps that were found in more upscale stores. Even at Orochimaru's lairs, Sasuke used the finest cleaning products Otogakure could offer. Nevertheless, the shinobi scrubbed himself vigorously with the "common" soap. The second thing he would do after getting his living space would be to buy Naruto some finer body products. After all, he deserved to have a taste of the rich life too. Sasuke washed the suds off and halted the flow of the water.

Sakura stopped and took out her key when she stepped onto the doormat. Sliding the piece of metal into the keyhole, she turned it and unlocked her door.

"I'm back, Oka—"

The kunoichi stopped herself. It had been a year since she had moved from her parents' house, yet Sakura still sometimes forgot that they weren't there anymore when she came home. Going into her bedroom, she changed from her shinobi attire into casual clothing. Donning a pastel green blouse and a light gray mini-skirt, Sakura hurriedly slipped on her boots and tripped lightly out the door. She had told Naruto that she was going to change and meet him at the ramen bar. After listening to her, he had said that he was also going to change. Smiling, the pink-haired 19 year-old wondered if Sasuke was done yet.

Naruto slapped his forehead in frustration. He had forgotten that Sasuke still possessed the key. Therefore, he was now stranded outside on this balcony knocking on his own door, in hopes that his friend would hear him. His frenzied hammering took effect. Sasuke opened the door, still drying his hair with a towel.

"You knocked?"

"Hai. I kinda forgot that you had the key. Anyway, I came back to change. So did Sakura-chan. She'll meet us at Ichiraku."

"Well, I'm one step ahead of you."

The Uchiha had changed into a pair of khaki shorts and a navy blue T-shirt. Naruto scowled.

"You had a head start. No fair, dattebayo!"

"The life of a shinobi doesn't include fairness."

"Well, at least I have an apartment!"

"You have horrible soap."

"I have a girlfriend!"

"What do I care?"

"I'm a jonin!" Okay, that one stung, Sasuke had to admit. Naruto and Sakura were already jonin, although he could probably have been one if he hadn't left for Itachi. Trying to brush it off, Sasuke replied with the most sophisticated answer he could think of at the moment.

"Hn."

Naruto looked smug at his friend's downfall.

"Got you that time, dattebayo!" Then he smiled to show that there were no hard feelings. Sasuke hesitated for a second, then smiled back at his friend.

"I'm going ahead. Meet you there."

"Okay, then I'm going to get dressed now, dattebayo."

"Sure."

Sasuke tossed the towel into the laundry hamper and put on his shoes. Making sure to leave the key where Naruto would find it, he walked out the door toward Ichiraku Ramen.

* * *

How did I do? Reading your reviews helps a lot.


	2. Chapter 2

If you are on this page, I commend you for your bravery! Unless, of course, you didn't read the first chapter... This part is fairly short. Once again, there is some Japanese terminology that may not be familiar, so here they are defined:

hai-yes

gomen nasai-sorry

konichiwa-good afternoon

ojiisan-grandfather (or in Naruto's case, old man)

ano-doesn't really have a meaning, maybe something similar to "um"

Happy reading!

* * *

Sakura had been waiting outside of the ramen bar for 15 minutes. Being her modest self, she had decided to wait for her friends before eating.

"And Naruto says that Kakashi-sensei is bad," she muttered under her breath. "He and Sasuke-kun are just as terrible." Just then, who would show up but the raven-haired Uchiha himself. His handsome face was as emotionless as ever, and his hands were stuck inside his pockets. Unfortunately, he was being followed by a gaggle of girls, led by none other than Natsu Ame. This girl was the archenemy of both Sakura and Ino. While pretending that she was an extremely nice person, Ame was popular also because of her looks and rich parents. As the giggling crowd neared her, Sakura nonchalantly called out,

"Still stalking Sasuke-kun, Ame?" The red-haired girl cast a withering gaze at her pink-headed opponent.

"Oh, it's you, Haruno." Her tone of voice conveyed nothing but venom.

"Hai, it's me. Anyway, don't you think you should stop following him?"

Ame gave a contemptuous laugh.

"What do you care? After all, you did say that you didn't like him anymore. Why are you still shielding Sasuke-kun then?"

"This is as a friend, not a crush. Anyway, shouldn't you be going now? I thought you had to do something at 1 o'clock, and time is running out."

"Gah! You're right!" Ame screeched. She and her band of followers dispersed. Meanwhile, Sasuke was dumbfounded. How did his most loyal fangirl suddenly transition from full-out crush to just friends? Not that he cared, of course. He had just been feeling something over the past few days…

"They seem to give you a lot of grief, huh?"

Her clear voice, like the tinkling of bells, cut off his thought. Sasuke nodded absentmindedly. However, he noticed that Sakura's fingers were fidgeting. She was obviously uncomfortable about something. Just then, Naruto appeared on the scene.

"Hey guys! Gomen nasai for being late, dattebayo!"

"Hn."

"Took you long enough."

"Anyway, let's get some ramen!" The blonde ninja led the way into the small stand. The three took their seats on the stools. Turning to his customers, the kindly old man who ran Ichiraku greeted them.

"Konichiwa, Naruto and Sakura. Who's this, Uchiha Sasuke? Welcome!"

"I'll have a pork miso ramen, ojiisan!"

"Miso ramen."

"I'll have the same thing as Sasuke-kun."

Teuchi nodded and stepped into the kitchen. Meanwhile, the three chatted amongst themselves.

"So Naruto, how are you and Sasuke-kun doing in your apartment?"

"We're fine so far! How are you doing in your own house, Sakura-chan?"

"It's good, although sometimes I forget that my parents aren't there."

She laughed. Sasuke found that he rather liked that lilting trill. The dark-haired shinobi gazed at her, masking his stare with indifference. She looked pretty today; fresh as a blooming flower in a meadow.

"What about that mission you had the other day?"

"It was a success! That criminal was easy to take down."

"I see."

Sakura continued questioning and answering Naruto. Deep inside his heart, Sasuke felt a little twinge of annoyance. She wasn't directing anything at him, except for a couple of little peeks when the pink-haired kunoichi thought he wasn't looking. However, when he had noticed and glanced at her, Sakura had quickly averted her eyes. This only served to infuriate him even more. Naruto was just as bad. He wasn't trying to make contact with his friend either, although he was probably too busy speaking with Sakura to turn away.

"Ramen's here!"

Ayame and Teuchi walked out of the kitchen balancing bowls of hot noodles. Placing them in front of each customer, the two Ichiraku owners resumed their tasks of cleaning plates and washing utensils. Naruto and Sakura continued chatting. The whole lunch was passed in silence by Sasuke, who quietly slurped at his ramen while getting crabbier and crabbier at his friends. When the members of the former Team 7 got up to leave, the raven-haired shinobi quickly said good-bye and set off for the training ground. He felt that some alone time was needed.

Sasuke stared competitively at the wooden training dummies. Summoning up his chakra, he muttered,

"Chidori nagashi!"

Blue streaks of lightning-like chakra were emitted from his body. They slashed out at the wooden posts. In a matter of seconds, what was originally a field of training dummies was now a mess of splinters. Satisfied, Sasuke began to work on his taijutsu. He figured that the trees wouldn't mind getting kicked around a little. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Sakura. She kept looking over her shoulder, as if she were afraid that someone would see her. However, that was a touch on the idiotic side, as many people were weaving their way around the pink-headed girl. Quickly, Sasuke jumped onto the top bough of a nearby tree, deciding to observe his former teammate. Sakura stopped in front of a large tree. She took a fighting stance and balled up her fist. Chakra began to emanate from it, and the kunoichi rammed her gloved hand into the tree. An astonished Sasuke witnessed the sturdy oak explode into little fragments. Sakura continued to work on her moves. After what had been seemingly an hour, the dark-haired shinobi was feeling cramped. Doubting that he could take anymore of kneeling on the rough bark (in khaki shorts, no less), Sasuke jumped onto the ground in front of a panting Sakura. She started in surprise. Ignoring her astonished expression, Sasuke looked at her calmly.

"Do you need a sparring partner?"

"Oh! Ano, it's okay. I was just going. "

She smiled awkwardly and fairly ran out of the training ground, leaving her friend behind. The Uchiha stared after her. Why was she always so jittery around him? Having nothing else to do, he trodded toward Naruto's apartment.

* * *

How was it? Bad? Good? I'd like to hear your opinions.


	3. Chapter 3

Third chapter right here! Glad that you took the time to read the last 2 chapters. Japanese terminology:

okasan-mother

otousan-father

matte-wait

hai-yes

arigatou-thank you

Go ahead!

* * *

Sakura slapped herself on her forehead. It hadn't been very subtle of her to run away from Sasuke at the training ground. The question was; why did she run away?

**Probably because you still have feelings for him. **

_No, Inner! I got rid of them a long time ago. _

**Or did you?**

_I…I think I did…_

**Then why do you still act so fidgety around him?**

_I don't know._

**Yes you do. **

_Well, I guess I just don't know how to explain it…_

**Try. **

_Okay. I guess…when he's around me, I get this sort of feeling. I know that it's love, which is exactly why I don't want to face it. I'm afraid that he'll break my heart again if I continue to love him…_

**There. Doesn't it feel better to talk about it?**

_I guess._

The pink-haired girl did actually feel better after talking her problem out, even if it was with her inner self (who probably knew about it already). But Sasuke was such a pressing matter. He had left her in the dust before. Even now, he and Naruto were already very close friends. In fact, Sasuke was beginning to talk about private matters with the blonde. He was getting friendlier with Kakashi, Sai, and Yamato. Only Sakura was out of the picture. Reaching her house, she opened the door and flopped onto her bed. Sakura laid her head on the pillow and dozed off. Meanwhile, Sasuke also lay down on his sofa bed. Naruto had gone out with Hinata, most likely to go shopping. The dark-haired man crossed his arms under his head and stared at the ceiling. Why was Sakura so fidgety around him now? And when had she stopped crushing on him? He decided that the answer lay with Naruto. Making a mental note to talk with his friend, Sasuke drifted off to sleep.

Sakura woke to the sounds of laughter and pots clashing against each other. Rubbing her eye, she groggily wondered if she missed her parents to such an extent that she hallucinated about them. Why had she moved out anyway? Climbing downstairs, she found her mother in the kitchen.

"Okasan?"

"Sakura! You're finally awake!"

"How did you get in?"

"Well, your otousan wasn't a shinobi for nothing."

"Otousan? He's here too?"

Suddenly, an old man popped out from the bathroom and waved. Not missing a beat, Mrs. Haruno began berating her daughter.

"Really, Sakura. You should take better care of your house! Why, before I tidied it up, your living room was a mess!"

Looking around, the pink-haired girl saw that her living room was indeed cleaner. Then, her mother continued ticking off more of her faults. 'Oh yeah,' Sakura thought sourly. 'This is why I moved out.' Turning to the elderly lady, she said,

"It's nice to see you, okasan and otousan. I see you've already made yourselves at home."

"Well, we couldn't resist popping in on our daughter. We're so proud of you, Sakura! Already a jonin, and a good one at that!" Mr. Haruno gave her a thumbs-up before returning to his newspaper. Sakura sighed and smiled. Her parents were always so supportive of their only child.

"I'll go set the table."

Naruto whistled cheerily and unlocked his apartment door. Removing his shoes, he went into the living room to find a sleeping Sasuke on the couch. Tip-toeing past his friend, Naruto tried to make his way to his bedroom.

"Matte, Naruto." Sasuke rose from the sofa and stretched.

"Hey Sasuke! Have a nice nap?"

"Hai. But I wanted to ask you something."

"Hmm?"

"Well, it's…" The Uchiha's cheeks grew pink and he turned his head to the side in an embarrassed manner. "It's kind of personal."

His friend stared at him. Then, he broke into a wide grin.

"Ask me anything! I'm really glad you're starting to come out of your shell and talk to me more, dattebayo!"

"Okay."

Sasuke sat back down. Naruto joined him.

"So?" The blonde looked at him expectantly.

"It's about Sakura."

"Sakura-chan?"

"Hai." He decided to go straight to the point. "When did she stop having a crush on me?"

"Well, it was some time after you left, I guess. I had just come back from training with Ero-sennin, and she happened to tell me that she cared for you as a friend only."

"Really?"

"Hai. And Sakura-chan had this determined face on, like she was trying to believe what she said."

"Hm." So Sakura hadn't really believed herself when she had said it either.

"Right. Anything else you want to know?"

"No. Arigatou, Naruto."

"Anytime. Let's talk more, okay? Just the two of us. That way we'll form a stronger bond!"

"Hn."

* * *

Please take the time to review. They're like blessings to me!


	4. Chapter 4

Days passed. Sasuke advanced into the chunin, then jonin rank. Sakura trained even more, and both she and Naruto grew stronger. However, the pink-haired kunoichi still avoided her sable-haired teammate. Just when she had almost succeeded in not seeing him altogether, fate twisted her life around cruelly. In the Hokage's Tower, Tsunade pored over paperwork with a bored air. Shizune hovered over her, making sure that the Godaime Hokage wasn't slacking off. Suddenly, a knock was heard.

"Enter!" Umino Iruka walked into the room. He bowed.

"Hokage-sama, a lord from the Fire Country is requesting a mission."

"Arigatou, Iruka. I'll be right there."

She stood up and followed him to the guest room. There, a tall, harsh-looking man greeted her with cold eyes. As Tsunade took her seat, he bowed to her.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Godaime Hokage-sama. I am Norikoma Jizumo, from the Fire Country capital."

"Ohayo, Norikoma-sama."

"I have a problem that needs the skill of shinobi. You see, my mansion has been robbed. Detectives narrowed the culprit down to Kuroba Mairu, the notorious thief. To whoever gets my revenge for me, I am ready to offer a sum of 90,000 ryou."

"Exactly what do you want to be done?"

"I want the death of Kuroba Mairu. Since you shinobi are said to be the best in the Fire Country, I trust that they will not disappoint me."

"No, Norikoma-sama. We'll take the mission."

The man gave a curt nod.

"Excellent. I will send the money to you via my servant once I get the body."

He swept out of the room. Tsunade shivered.

"He scares me," she remarked to Shizune, who agreed.

Sakura fidgeted nervously. Standing beside her was Sasuke. Next to him were Shino and Rock Lee. Tsunade eyed the four critically.

"I have chosen all of you for this mission: capturing Kuroba Mairu."

"Kuroba Mairu?" Sakura inquired.

"He is a notorious thief who has been rumored to steal many things, including gold. He's been caught before, but always manages to escape. His knowledge of the ninja arts is only a limited number of ninjutsu."

"That's surprising."

"Hai. Your team will be investigating around the capital of the Fire Country. When you find Kuroba Mairu, terminate him."

"Hai!" All four disappeared in smoke.

"This is an easy mission for them. They'll finish it off quickly," Shizune stated. Tsunade nodded.

"After all, they are some of our best shinobi."

Sakura rummaged inside her drawer. She drew out her jonin flak jacket and put it on. Grabbing her pouch, the kunoichi fastened it at her waist. She glanced in the mirror; every strand of pink hair was in place. Sakura couldn't help it. She was just vain. Looking at the clock, she quickly ran out the door. Their team had agreed to meet at the gates in 15 minutes, which was about how long it took to get from Sakura's house to the big red doors. As she ran down the street, the pink-haired girl thought about her misfortune. Why did Sasuke have to be on the team? He was a pretty skilled shinobi, but so was Neji. And Naruto. And many others besides the Uchiha. Did Tsunade just like teasing her, or was it just a random pick? Sakura couldn't distinguish the answer. When she reached the gates, Sasuke was there. To her great dismay, nobody else was. Walking reluctantly toward him, she gave a force, "Ohayo, Sasuke-kun." He lifted an eyebrow at her muted tone, but replied,

"Ohayo." Sasuke was on the verge of asking her why she was so reluctant to talk to him when Rock Lee leaped energetically into their midst.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura-san and Sasuke-kun!"

"Ohayo, Lee-san!"

Sakura seemed more relaxed with the Beautiful Blue Beast around, Sasuke observed. For some reason, he stiffened. However, the Uchiha still nodded at Lee. Shino also arrived. Cutting straight to the point, he said,

"Let's go."

The jonin vanished into the trees.

The spray of salt water rose and caressed Sakura's cheek. She inhaled deeply and stared out onto the water with viridian green eyes. It had been half an hour since the boat that would take them to the capital had left the port, and they were halfway there. Large mansions could be 

seen on the banks of the river. She was so caught up in the scenery that the kunoichi didn't notice Sasuke stealthily sneaking to her side.

"It's time to disembark." His voice made Sakura jump.

"Sasuke-kun! Ano, arigatou for telling me. You can go ahead. I just want to grab my things."

However, Sasuke held up her pouch and flak jacket.

"Here."

"Oh! Arigatou."

She took the objects and put them on, all the while berating herself for not putting her things in a secret place. Then, both stepped out of the boat onto the dock. Shino and Rock Lee were already there.

"Tsunade-sama told us to search over at Norikoma Jizumo's mansion, so that's where we'll go first," Shino said. The rest of the team nodded, and they set off.

Upon reaching the lord's gigantic house, Shino, Rock Lee, Sakura, and Sasuke were met by a young girl. She bowed.

"Norikoma-sama would like to see you."

Leading the way, she took them through a maze of gardens, ponds, and courtyards. Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the mansion. The girl opened the door for them and brought the team into an elegantly furnished, spacious room. There on a couch, reading a large black book, was a harsh-looking man. His cold imperiousness chilled the four down to the bone. Without looking up, he commanded,

"Leave the shinobi. You are dismissed."

The girl bowed again and exited the room. Putting down his book, the man looked at the team. He smiled; a brittle, insincere one that rivaled even Sai's.

"You must be the ninja that I hired. Please, sit down."

They sat on the wide, cushioned sofa in front of the man.

"I am Norikoma Jizumo. You already know your mission, correct?"

"Hai."

"Good. I expect nothing short of success from the renowned village of Konohagakure."

"We won't disappoint you."

"Fantastic. You may leave."

Jizumo got up and walked out of the room. The jonin were left behind. Inner Sakura came out.

**Rude, isn't he?**

_Not rude, just…imperious._

**I wonder what Tsunade-shishou thought of him?**

_She was probably scared, like I am._

**Hmm…**

Inner Sakura faded away. Shino stood up.

"It's time to begin our investigation."


	5. Chapter 5

An extremely short chapter. Sorry! Here's the Japanese:

-dono-lord

hai-yes

Here you go!

* * *

After hours of fruitless searching, everybody was tired. Even Lee had lost his pluckiness (although that was probably because he traveled on his hands, due to a bet that he and Naruto had made just before the mission). Shino's bugs hadn't managed to find Kuroba Mairu either. Needless to say, Sasuke and Sakura's efforts were unsuccessful too. The Aburame called for a gathering around a tree.

"We haven't been able to find him."

"No. Even our youthfulness could not help."

"Maybe we're just searching in the wrong place."

"…"

"That's it! What would a notorious thief steal?"

"Valuable things."

"And where do people keep their valuables?"

"In a…vault! Sakura-san is right! We should have been searching the vaults!"

"But which vault? Kuroba Mairu wouldn't steal from the same place two times in a row, so we can rule Norikoma-dono's mansion out."

"Well, there are only about 10 other houses here. We can search them all!"

"Use your radio collars. Once you have found a likely area that he could be hiding in, contact the others."

"Hn."

Each jonin chose a house and started searching the vaults.

"Nothing here."

"He's not here."

"Nowhere to be found."

"Nothing."

The search went on for hours. Suddenly,

"I think I found him!"

"Where are you?"

"At the red roofed mansion."

In a flash, all of the team members were crouching down behind a wall.

"Where is he, Sakura?"

"Over there, between the piles of gold."

Shino sent a small bug over to the said area. A moment later, it came back and alighted on the Aburame's hand. He listened to its soft buzzing noises.

"It says that he's bagging the gold."

"Let us get him!"

"Be on your guard."

The four sprang out. Startled, Kuroba Mairu lifted his head. Observing them, he realized that they were shinobi. Quickly forming a stance, he waited for an opponent. Rock Lee charged. He executed a few quick moves, all of which were dodged by Mairu.

"Konoha senpuu!"

Gold was scattered everywhere. Lee emerged from the scuffle, holding up Kuroba Mairu…who turned out to be a gold bar in a puff of smoke. Lee gritted his teeth.

"Kawarimi no jutsu. I should have known."

All of a sudden, a cloud of bugs was pursuing the culprit. Performing some hand seals, Mairu disappeared. Sasuke began to emit lightning-like sparks of chakra. He channeled them into the ground, using the gold pieces scattered throughout as a base. In a moment, the notorious thief jumped out. He was attacked by Sakura, who pinned him down by the throat. Using a chakra scalpel, she cut his vocal cords so that he didn't make any noise. Next, she severed his heart. In a moment, Kuroba Mairu was dead. Lee took the large sack that the man had been using and gently wrapped it around the corpse. He shook his head.

"What do we do with him?"

"My bugs will transport the body to Norikoma Jizumo. In the meantime, let's head back."

"Hai."

* * *

After this chapter, what was your reaction? To hear your comments is my wish.


	6. Chapter 6

The last chapter is here. If you've made it all the way to this page, you are very brave indeed. This is the Japanese:

ano-has no meaning, similar to "um"

hai-yes

Yours to read...

* * *

Sakura walked around the corner. Her head was filled with thoughts. Tsunade had said that they did a good job, and the mission was a success. The team had dispersed, and she was heading home now. As the pink-haired kunoichi passed by a dark, secluded alley, she was suddenly aware of a strong chakra. Before she could react, Sakura was pulled into the area with a hand clamped over her mouth. She tried to draw chakra into her hand, but fingers firmly grasped her wrist. Looking indignantly at her captor, Sakura's eyes widened. It was Sasuke. He stared at her with dark eyes.

"Sasuke-kun, what are you—"

"What's wrong, Sakura?"

"Huh?"

"Why do you ignore me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The Uchiha stepped forward and slammed her against the brick wall. She whimpered.

"You know what I'm talking about. Whenever I'm around you, you act like I'm absent or you fidget uncomfortably."

"I don't love you!" Sakura blurted into Sasuke's face. He stared at her in disbelief and loosened his hold on her. The Uchiha almost laughed. So this was a matter of love? He murmured softly,

"Love?"

Sakura blushed. She hadn't meant to say that; the pressure had just gone to her head.

"Ano…"

Sasuke's face was extremely close to hers, and all of the details of his handsome face could be seen clearly. His perfect, straight nose, his ebony eyes, his shapely eyebrows, his blackish-blue bangs… On the Uchiha's hand, Sakura's green eyes, slender eyebrows, pink hair, and perfect skin seemed like that of a fairy. He leaned forward even more, and placed his mouth by her ear. Sasuke spoke in a whisper.

"Do you love me?" His breath sent chills up Sakura's spine.

"N-No…"

"Really?"

And he positioned himself so that his lips were on hers. The kunoichi's eyes grew wide for a moment. They gazed into the onyx ones in front of them. However, the dark orbs showed no recognizable emotion. This wordless struggle went on in Sakura's mind for a few moments until,

**Just give in already!**

_Okay…_

She leaned into his chest and kissed Sasuke back. He stood his ground and didn't budge. Light, quick fingers slid through sable locks, and strong hands remained stationary on either side of the pink-headed girl. Finally, they broke apart. Sasuke smirked.

"Now, what's your answer again?"

"Hai, I guess…"

"You still have doubts?"

"Well…"

Sakura took a deep breath. Then, her reason for keeping away from him poured out in torrents: the feelings of hurt, anger, and betrayal when he left, the resolution not to be hurt by anyone else like that again… When the whole tirade was done, Sasuke just stood there. For a moment, Sakura was afraid that the Uchiha might be laughing inwardly. Then, he looked earnestly into her eyes, and his arms circled her waist.

"Sakura, I will always be by your side. You won't be hurt like that again."

She stared up at him hopefully, and laid her head on his chest.

"I love you, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn."

But inside his heart, he knew,

"_I love you too, Sakura."_

...and yours to judge!

* * *


End file.
